Edit ArticleHow to Stop Secondhand Smoke Coming Into Your Apartment Living in an apartment block, it can sometimes be a trial if you are plagued by the effects of secondhand smoke seeping into your home from another residence. The law may, or may not, be on your side and even where it is, the time needed to institute legal responses might result in secondhand smoke continuing to impinge on your quality of life for a long period of time. If you cannot move, there are some proactive steps that you can take to protect the quality of air that you breathe in your home. Try to locate the entry point(s) of the secondhand smoke. See if it is possible to pinpoint the source of the cigarette smoke. Any vents no longer in use (common in old buildings) can be sealed by removing the diffuser/grate, cutting a plastic sheet slightly larger than the opening, and attaching the sheet to the opening using silicone caulk as an adhesive. Fit door draft excludes under doors that open into corridors or common areas.

Seal around windows with caulk or weatherstripping. Install extractive window fans. These will help to draw smoke outside and can help increase ventilation. Seek professional advice on type and installation measures.There are some important follow-ups that you might consider pursuing as well as the practical actions in the steps above. Notify the landlord, building management or other relevant persons that you have the problem. Request that action be taken to prevent the distribution of secondhand smoke through the apartment building. Check the lease agreement or apartment building bylaws to see if you can find additional support. Check local laws to see if there are bans on smoking in public places, such as gardens and common outdoor areas. It may mean that you can request property management to enforce the laws. If there are not currently laws in place to protect your family and other non-smokers, consider calling or writing to your local law makers. Don't wait for others to protect you and your kids- take action to change local laws yourself.

Ask for compensation from a landlord, property management or other relevant party for the repairs you have made. Keep all receipts and document all repairs made. air purifier badYou may not be successful but it is worth trying and it is even more important to retain this documentation if the matter turns into a legal issue later on.best medical grade air purifiers One problematic entry point is the bath. air purifier black friday 2013If you live above a smoking residence and their electrical fan in their bathroom is drawing the smoke out, it may be drawing it right up into the recess beneath your bathtub. If this is the case, you will need a professional plumber to come and seal the space under the bathtub. You can purchase seals made for electrical outlets and light switch points.

Ask at your local hardware store. If you can pinpoint the source to a neighbor and that neighbor seems unwilling, disinterested or even aggressively defensive about the smoking issue, it will be time to bring in a landlord, those responsible for general maintenance of the apartment block (e.g., caretakers, cooperative board, property manager etc.) and let these people take over from you. Make sure that you present well-documented evidence of your concern and be prepared to show them inside your apartment to demonstrate as well. The floor can settle in older apartments, so you may need to seal the gap underneath your baseboard to floor. Secondhand smoke is dangerous to every person exposed to it. Chemicals from smoke, such as benzene, settle on your upholstery, paintwork, food and sleeping areas, to name but a few areas of concern. Be assertive in protecting your family's health. Be aware that ventilation systems and portable air cleaners do not adequately filter smoke particles.

They might reduce the odor but they tend to push the smoke around rather than stop it and the health-damaging effects are still occurring. If you are renting, or under strict rules about making changes, always seek appropriate approvals before undertaking remedial work. Don't forget, however, that this is urgent and you should press the urgency of the matter when seeking approvals. Sealing gaps also reduces airflow in your home. This could result in stale indoor air and other health-related problems. To avoid this possibility, seek professional advice from the apartment building management or from energy efficiency experts (often attached to municipal or local governments).Written Air purifiers work to fully eliminate odors and the causes of odors, rather than simply masking unpleasant smells. Odors are created by microscopic molecules in the air from a multitude of sources, such as pets, cooking, tobacco, or firewood smoke. Air purifiers capture and eliminate these molecules during the filtration process.

Normally, air purifiers filter air through a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. This filter excels in catching large molecules like pet hair and dander. However, smaller molecules, the ones responsible for odors, are able to slip through a solely HEPA filtration system.For true odor management, a secondary filtration system is required. This second system is composed of activated carbon, also known as charcoal. Activated carbon removes the molecules responsible for unpleasant odors through a process called adsorption. Think of activated carbon as a sponge; it grabs odor molecules from the air, bonds to them, and holds them within the filtration system.An air purifier with an activated carbon filter differs from other odor management solutions. Rather than adding molecules to the air in attempt to mask odor, air purifiers with carbon remove molecules from the air. Essentially, the difference in odor management methods is the same as the difference between addition and subtraction: they’re completely different processes.

Adding molecules to the air to mask odors can have unintended consequences, most notably the addition of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) to your indoor air. Air fresheners often contain Formaldehyde, classified as a carcinogen, that could induce nausea and headaches or aggravate asthma. Another common VOC are phthalates, hazardous chemicals that can induce birth defects and hormonal abnormalities.Some air purifiers perform better than others depending on where the odor originates from. Depending on your price range and room size, there are a multitude of air purifier options for odor control. I’ve highlighted two of my favorite air purifier producers below.Air PuraAir Pura is a Canadian based company with large, drum style air purifiers. While they may be expensive, they are hands-down the top of the line option for odor control. I can recommend two models:Airpura R600 HEPA Air Purifier - great for odors caused by cooking, pets, dirty diapers, or sweaty teenagersAirpura T600 HEPA Air Purifier - the filtration of the R600 plus 26 pounds of activated carbon to deal with odors and carcinogens from tobacco smoke or wood-burning smokeAlen BreatheSmart SeriesAlen Corp. is an American company located in Austin, Texas.

They produce stylish and design-conscious air purifiers without sacrificing performance. Alen offers four different filtration options to cover all needs. For smoke and odors, I recommend the FreshPlus filter.Alen BreatheSmart for Smoke and Odors - provides coverage up to 1100 sq. feet and comes in 15 different colors. One cool feature is the option to get a primer-painted panel, that can be decorated any way you choose.Alen BreatheSmart FIT50 for Smoke and Odors - $100 cheaper version of the original BreatheSmart, but offers 300 less sq. feet of coverage.I hope this answered your question! Remember, air purifiers = process of subtraction rather than addition. If you have any other questions about the benefits of air purifiers, feel free to message me. Good luck in controlling odors with an air purifier!SOURCE: experience and training as an Air Purifiers America product and information specialistWritten Air fresheners are designed to mask the smell of something and therefore not remove what is causing the scent.